The Last Priestess
by LokabrennaWyrdsdottir
Summary: Is it a curse, or a painful blessing? Hundreds of years ago my family was given a gift from the Trickster. With that gift came a sacred duty. I am the last priestess of Loki in my family, and it is coming time for me to fulfill the duty he meant for me. Will I succeed? Will I live to faithfully serve the Trickster, or will I die, a disgrace to His service?... no pairings...yet
1. Chapter 1

**My first ever fanfic, please be gentle, but all reviews are appreciated.**

**DISCLAIMER: I only own the mitsakes.**

Long have I wandered this Earth in my search, just as my mother before me and her mother before her. We are all of us unique, and all of us blessed. Of course, I'm the only one to make it to my 23rd birthday without succumbing to the belief that our blessing is, in fact, a curse. All of the women of my family think this Thing we do is a darkness, and yet all of them use it. Crave it. They do not understand what a gift it is.

Years and years ago, when we Northern people were blessed with the physical precense of our gods, He came to us. To my ancestor. Throughout the ages, her name is lost to us, but not her heritage. Everyone born of our line is a woman, and we all have dark auburn hair and jade colored eyes; enough to convince everyone throughout all the ages that we were all witches. Well, maybe we are. What we are for certain, is loyal. Loyal to He who gave us our gift, our power, and our wits. For that, we must be ever faithful to the Trickster. We do not speak His true name to anyone but ourselves, for it is a secret guarded by we few, but colloquially, we call Him Loki, and it is to He that we are ever faithful.

In hundreds of years, I am one of only three women of my line born with control. I suppose I should be grateful for that, as I was certainly not graced with patience. It is a dark secret, and dangerous to me, and to my family, that we can perform magics. This is our gift. The Lord Loki gave us what abilities we could harness in Midgard. They are not many, and they are not free. The magic we are innately born with as Midgardians is all tied into our emotion. Witch magic. Earth magic. Call it what you will, but it is effective. The Trickster however, gave us the gift of a choice. Every woman of my blood can choose complete allegiance to Him, in return for the ability to use Asgardian magics. The magic of gods would be at our fingertips- at a price. You see, that all children born to my family are female is no coincidence, but design. Each girl, at her first bleeding, must seclude herself from her kin for three full nights. At the end of those three nights, she may stand and swear allegiance to the Trickster, or remain barren and weak all her days. A pricey choice. To my knowledge no one has ever chosen the latter.

On that final night, when we each stood and cried out His name, we were endowed with power, but endowed also with a sacred duty. There has been a long standing prophecy gleened from the Norns that our beloved Trickster would bring about the destruction of our world, that he would be bound and punished. As His priestesses, it is our sacred duty to safeguard Him. Too few of us know what that truly means. To hold such power without being truly wise is a course into madness. We all have it, in the end, and it has just taken my mother. My sister and I are all that is left of our line, and my sister has just had her first blood. My heart grieves, for I already know that she will not choose the Lord's work. Nevertheless, our line must perservere. I will take on the responsibility alone if I must. I will fight to stave off my own madness, my own wants and desires. They are trivial things in comparison to the gifts of the Trickster.

I woke gasping, out of breath. Pain, everywhere in my feeble body. I feel like I've been bulldozed. _What's happening to me? _ Gods I can barely move. *Sigh.* I get up anyway. What the Hel was that? Crazy ass dream- felt like flashbacks, except that I rarely have flashbacks, and have never been to the place I was "flashing" to.

-CRASH!-

Broken dishes. Again. "BLAER!" I love my sister to death, but she is possibly the clumsiest person in the history of ever.

"I didn't mean it!"

"Clean it up anyway!" Gah. That's the real curse, family. I hate how bitter I've become lately, but I can't help it. There's just too much weighing on my mind. Responsibilities sitting on my shoulders like lead weights. Take care of my invalid mother, take care of my fragile and weak little sister. Get the food, do the cooking, do the cleaning up. If only I could use my magic for such mundane tasks, but I must control myself. At least Blaer is good at cooking and cleaning.

Since she chose barreness over fealty to Loki, she can do no Asgardian magic, and she has no skill with Midgardian magic either. It is so overwhelming to have three people to care for and the ability to use magic, and to be terrified of that magic. I can't let myself become like my mother, not even fifty and burned out completely. Too much magic draws too much from you, and if you can't give enough back, your mind starts thinning, and the netting holding all yours thoughts together starts to unravel. I can't be like that. I'll find a way to make it all balance. It's a little easier here, out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe a person or two in about ten square miles- and they all avoid us. Foreigners to this place, we have long been suspected. Every bad thing around here is blamed on us, our fault or not. How can I possibly do the Trickster's bidding landlocked like this? How can I leave my sister unprotected with an invalid to care for? The Trickster has been mysteriously quiet for many months, and I worry. My own magic has been growing exponentially, a sure sign that the Trickster's true purpose for us is soon to be fulfilled.

In these past years, I have sat quiet, in peaceful meditation, ready to receive arcane knowledge from the Trickster, and then hone it until I am worthy of His gift. In that time I have stumbled onto a pice of wisdom that I do not believe He intended me to have. Should His power ever be bound, it is my sacred duty, as His priestess, His LAST priestess, to store all of His magic for Him. The bits and pieces He gives to me are to help me hone my control and allegiance. If I ever do need to fulfill my sacred duty, I will need to control and use that magic to restore it to Him. I cannot imagine full access to the Trickster's magic. I also cannot imagine what it would do to my mind. But these last months, there has been nothing. I have prayed, and cried and shouted, but there has been silence. Nothing but these crazy flashbacks and pain. I know in my heart that I need to make my way to Him. I can feel Him here on Midgard, and I am quite sure that He is not here of His choosing. I am so conflicted. I could feel His desent into madness, and I could feel His return to Asgard. But now- now He is back on Midgard, and nearly all His power is bound. The battle of New York tested my loyalty most fiercly, but He was not Himself, and I can continue in His service with a clear conscience. I must continue, as I am the only one. Had my sister chosen to stay in the service of our Lord, we would share the burden, but she did not, and I must shoulder it alone.

Blaer is sweeping the floor when I come into the kitchen. She looks into my face, saddened. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"It's time." Gods this is hard.

"What about ME! What about MOM! Don't you care about US or is it just Him you care about?" Oh how I wish she could understand how hard this is.

I am filled with anger and hurt, but I slap her anyway. "My duty is the most important thing to me! I am the only one who can do this. You would understand if you hadn't been such a coward." I ignore her hurt face and tears. Heading back to my room, I check in on my mother- still asleep, thankfully. I hate this, but I have a purpose. I was MADE for this. It only takes a few moments and my bag is packed. I was never much of a materialist anyway.

She's there, at the door, when I grab my heavy coat from behind the door. "The cellar is full. If you milk the goats every day and sow the seeds after the thaw you won't want for food. Please remember that I do love you, even if you hate me right now. I can't promise that I'll be coming back, but I know you can do this. " I don't wait for her words. Anything else and I'll be crying and begging her to forgive me for walking out on her, but I have a job. The forest is dark and unforgiving,with a bitter wind and a hateful cold. No matter, I must find him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank to everyone who has read, faved, and followed! And thank you also to my reviewer! :) Sorry this has taken so long to update. I'd like to say that I will update every week, but realistically, that won't be the case. I tend to write on the fly and proof read later. Anywayz...**

**DISCLAIMER: I only own the mitsakes.**

The first nights in the forests of Southwestern Siberia are unforgiving. I had vainly assumed that it would be relatively easy. Just like the camping we did as children. I must keep telling myself that this is not a terrible mistake, and keep myself from running back home, to my mother, and my sister, and the FIRE. Gods, I've never been so cold in my entire life. Bone- deep cold. I might have given up, I might have just given it all up then, but I think that this was a test. That first night, it was nearing dawn, and I could feel Him again. His anger, His sorrow, every single emotion of His was coursing through my body. Perhaps His self control lapsed, or perhaps it was bound with His magics. I know not, but there were so many feelings flooding over me. I could see into some of His thoughts as well, and oh, how He hates it there. But where is there? I can see things as He sees them if I concentrate very hard. I have not been able to do this For a very long time, and only very occasionally, but I find it becoming much easier. I can see how much they hate Him. All but the other Asgardian. _Thor? Did He say Thor? The golden prince of Asgard? What is this? _

After a week's hard travel I find myself within about a three-day hike's distance of Moscow. Perfect. I smile to myself, it will only be a matter of time, and I can catch up on everything I've missed. It's been a long time since I'd come to any of the cities, and there was no electricity at home. I would be needing to check on the news for that last year, particularly New York.

Deciding that my last night away from any substantial civilization required meditation. I sat down my make- shift lean- to and pulled own my box. Some people I had heard of and even stumbled across would say that this little box is silly and even child's play, but I try to focus on practicality. Who says it is not possible to do magic without sparkly candles, cheap resin figurines, appalling incense, and summoning a sacred circle? What nonsense. Did any of them ever stop to think that all witchcraft came from somewhere? The older the better, as far as I'm concerned. It all boils down to blood and iron anyway. Besides, if you summon up a protective circle, something WILL show up to see why it is there. Best not to bother with the trivialities. I find that the only actual magical tools I need are very simple. No one looking through my things will say to themselves "_This is a witch,_" which is something that has paid off before.

It is a small tin, a bit larger than a set of playing cards, and a bit taller as well. Inside it are two small beeswax candles, a piece of raw quartz, an old, rusty nail, a needle, a bit of twine with an ancient key on one end, a clump of sage tied together and burnt at one end, a copper penny, a small muslin charm bag, a few matches, and the stone I held when I vowed myself to Loki. All simple things. Perhaps I'll expand them when I get home, if I ever do make it home. I might even get a real scrying bowl. As it stands I've been using my father's old army mess kit that he left behind. My pocketknife is my blade, and my mug is my chalice. Simple, non suspicious. Well, down to business.

I pull my knife own, and I set it down. I strike the match and light my candles. All my magical tools are laid in front of me. This is the only night of the dark moon that I will be able to do this uninterrupted. I take the key and start swinging it in lazy clockwize motions around the flames:

_"Here's the circle, open wide,_

_Here's the key to get inside,_

_Earth be iron, Flame be fair,_

_Fall from Water, into Air."_

Immediately the trees around me blur, and my body takes root to the ground, while my eyes flash, and my mind it taken to His. _Arguing again, I see. Who are they? That redhead looks dangerous, and angry. The dark- haired man is trying desperately to keep calm, and beside him- Oh my Gods, is that Tony Stark? Iron Man? Oh, Loki, where are you? I hope you are safe, I can't imagine what the government in America would do to you if they were the ones to take you in. Thor, hard to miss with His large oafishness._

_What was that? Chuckling?Everyone is so angry, who could be laughi-_

_**Why I am, child.**_

_...My Lord Loki?... omgomgomgomg_

_**But whom else? Did you make a habit of hearing strange voices in your head?**_

_...N-No, my Lord... My Lord, what will you have me do? I am yours to command, I'm not sure if you recall my family-_

_**Do you think I could not see it? Would you imply that I am so simple as to not hear the supplication of my only believer?**_

_Only? How can I be the only one? You must have hundreds of followers my Lord! I know my sister and mother are among them!_

_**Ah, my child, there are many who believe that I exist, but of them, only you perform rites in my name. There are a feeble few who think to call upon my name in the night, but only you have earned any right to do so.**_

_Thank you, my Lord... My Lord- may I ask a question of you? I'm afraid I can't keep this bond for much longer, and I would beg an answer of you._

_**Very well child. What is your question?**_

_Where are you? I am compelled to find you. I have your magic bound to me, but I have to get to you._

_**Of course you have my magic, that is your purpose. As for where, I am in a place the Midgardians call 'New York.' Manhattan, I believe. If you look for the tower that looks build by ego alone, you shall find me.**_

_So that really is Tony Stark, then?_

_**Find me.**_

With a sudden lurch, I fall off my metaphysical merry-go-round. I lean to my side and heave everything I've eaten. _My gods, that was real. I SPOKE to Him! Manhattan. How am I supposed to get to Manhattan? And if he is being kept by the Avengers, how can I restore His magic? How do I even restore His magic? Why are they so angry with Him? That was fresh anger, there is much going on there, and I need to get there as quickly as I can. I wonder how Blaer is doing. Gods I want to go home._

_**Stop worrying about home.**_

_!Will I be able to hear you all the time now?_

_**Think of me as your conscience. Now that I know exactly who my supplicant is, I can hone in on your voice. **_

_But how? I have your magics, my Lord._

_**This is an innate magic that cannot be bound. This is a communication between souls. To take it away would destroy us both. Fortunately, there is not a being powerful enough to remove us from existence in that way.**_

_That's good. Will you be listening in on all my thoughts now? _

_**Do not be ridiculous. I have better ways to spend my time than to listen to your every thought. In due time, you will learn to feel when I am there.**_

_My apologies my Lord, I did not mean to presume._

_**Worry not, rest now, and then find me child.**_

_Of course my Lord._

A weight lifted out of my head, and I knew that I was alone again. Now I must get to Western Europe and find a way to get to Manhattan.

**A/N: Okay, I'm a little less happy with this chappy, but I'm working on another one which will be uploaded tonight or tomorrow afternoon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This one will seem like it skips a bit, but go with it, I'll explain it later on, somewhere around chapter 4 or 5. Also, I'm not sure if I'm going to do any pairings, but if you want something, let me know, and I'll see if I can work it into the storyline.**

**DISCLAIMER: I only own the mitsakes. **

After an enternity and a half, I was looking up at Stark's tower. For a playboy, I can't help but think he's compensating... Anyway, I need a shower, food, and sleep. None of those will happen quickly if I go into Stark tower and ask to speak with _Loki._ I would be lucky to escape. Nonetheless, I drag myself across the crowded street. People are staring, and avoiding me, and I remember that I look like shit. I haven't showered in several days, my clothes are filthy, and my hair looks like a birdnest. I fit in pretty well with the homeless crowd, but my bag is finely tooled leather, and people must think it's stolen. I wonder what the receptionist will think of me. I smile to myself and step into the building. Huh. The lobby is deserted. The lone receptionist is turned away, reaching for something, and on the phone. I see my chance, and bolt for the elevator. Not expecting to actually make it, I laugh like a fool when the doors chime and close behind me.

_You are not authorized to be on these premeses. Please step off of the lift and leave the building, or I will have no alternative but to contact security._

_"Who are you? Because I already have a conscience and He's a bit grumpy with how you guys treat Him."_

_My name is JARVIS. I am the artificial intelliegence designed by Mister Stark to run His facility._

_"Interesting. I suppose that makes you a God in your own right. Well, Jarvis, my name is Briana, and it's nice to meet you."_

_And you as well, although my divinity is quite unlikely, miss. Once again, you are not authorized to -_

_"Yeah, yeah, I get it. This is really important though. I'm sure there's no way you'll let me in to see Loki, but I know He's here, and I need to see Him. I have to do something, and I can't do it without being there with Him."_

_If you are familiar to Loki miss, than you may be considered a threat._

_"But I've done nohting wrong.I've just stood here, looking like a hobo, and having a rather pleasant conversation."_

_Regardless, miss. Loki is responsible for terrible things, and must be held accountable. You must be considered an accessory until it can be established otherwise._

_Accessory? Oh this is not sounding good. Time to offsky. "You know what Jarv? I'm feeling a little claustrophobic, could you let me out?_

_Of course miss._

The elevator doors chime open, and I step into the lobby, only to see it filled with police deputies, all of the Avengers, and one very angry looking black man with an eye patch and a trench coat. _So long shower and hot food, I would have enjoyed you..._

_-page break -_

Forty-five minutes later, after a five minute supervised shower, and clean clothes, I found myself sitting in a very nice room overlooking the city. After my stomach growled, a very nice and very attractive blond man had a few words with the angry black man, and I was brought water and some kind of weird granola bar thing. It was stale and too crunchy and tasted funny, and it was the most delicious thing I have ever had. Hunger does odd things to me.

Once Mr. Stark rejoined us, I can only imagine that it takes awhile to get out of the Iron Man suit, the uncomfortable silence began. Eye patch opened his mouth to speak when there was deafening boom on the roof. Everyone flinched, and in came the one and only Thor. _Oh no._ While everyone was looking, I sank to my knees, earning myself a rather intrigued look from the Black Widow.

_"__**FRIENDS! I HEAR YOU HAVE NEWS PERTAINING TO MY BROTHER?"**_

_"We don't know yet. We were just getting ready to find-" _Eye patch, Fury, I think Stark called him, stopped to stare at me. _"Why the hell are you on the floor?"_

_Now or never. "I am in my place. It will do me no favors to disrespect the crown prince of Asgard and all the nine realms." Oh yeah, welcome back tension, I hadn't notice you slink off, but here you are again._

For at least fifteen whole seconds no one spoke, and then they all spoke at once, each clamoring to be heard over each other. And then, in a calm collected voice, that silenced all the others, I heard, "_**She is here on my behalf.**_" Everyone turned to stare at Loki, who looked for all the world like a cat sunning itself with no care to anything around it. "_**She is the vessel that contains all of my magics.**_" A predatory grin crept over His face, and for the first time in my life, I foun myself wondering if I was doing the right thing in coming here. Was Loki Himself? Was the precense gone? Could I trust Him with His magic?

The first one to speak was the sexy blonde man that had had food brought to me. "_We can't trust her. She's a liability." _

"_Now, now, Cap. We can't be rude._" _Captain America. Holy fucking shit, I was eyeballing Captain America._

_"Stark, if she's on Loki's side..."_

_"I didn't say to trust her. Let's just see what this cute young thing is doing looking for reindeer games here." Cue speech here. Do I go with lies or the truth? Best be as truthful as possible, Widow is staring straight at me. And where is the Hulk? Which one is he? And Hawkeye isn't to be seen either. Although the latter is probably sizing me up to see if he needs to shoot me. He has more reason than most to hate me. I can feel the residue of magic on him from here. I stood slowly._

_"My name is Briana. I'm sure Jarvis told you that much. And yes, I am the vessel for Loki's magics. And yes, I am a threat, but I am so much more than that. Mr. Fury, if I could speak for a moment?"_

_"Director Fury." I bet he couldn't cram more anger into two words if he tried._

_"My apologies. _Director_ Fury. I understand your position. Truly I do. If I were in your position, I would want to know why this crazy bitch hadn't been locked up yet. The problem is not that I don't agree. I do agree. But I'm also right. As long as I have Loki's magic, considering His past actions, you have no choice but to view me as a threat. The problem is that you have no way to control me, only to manipulate me. The only reason I'm trying to stay in your good graces is because of Blaer. "_

_The good captain speaks up, "Who is Blaer?"_

_And now to wring him for sympathy and good old 40's values. "She's my little sister. She's home caring for our dying mother. She had the chance to serve Loki and refused it. She is weak and powerless, and a child. I must protect her." And if that face is anything to go by, Captain America is trying to be on my side. I'll need to convince him that I am not evil._

_"I have to learn from Loki how to restore His magic. It is not something I know, and I will need an audience with Asgard to be allowed to do so." _Loki's indignant face was glaring at me. _Oh, please don't hate me._

_"If I restore His magic now, they will destroy me, and possibly Blaer. I can see that Loki is not happy with this tun of events, but my hands are tied in this. " And now for the ringer._

_"I also do not feel that Loki is ready to have His magics back." And now for everyone's complete and undivided attention. _

Everyone looked very uncomfortable. I suppose revealing that you are a sorceress working for a mad genius tends to out people off a bit. I couldn't help but wonder ehy Thor was so silent, and looking at me so knowingly.

The silence was broken by a new voice, coming from directly behind me. I am very proud that I did not flinch when I felt a sharp point in the middle of my back. _"How do we know she's not one of his tricks? She could be here to brainwash people for him." Ah, hello Hawkeye. "She could be here to do all kinds of evil stuff in his name."_

Oh as if. I have a very important purpose here."_Yes actually, I am._" Turning to face Hawkeye, I cannot resist a taunt at his fearful face. "_I'm here on behalf of the Lokean League of Very Bad People. I'm the offical brainwasher._" _Oh my gods, he might actually shoot me. _

_"Enough. " _Another new voice broke in. We all turned to see a rather disheveled and tanned man walk in. This must be the Hulk's alter ego. "_If the other guy can handle Loki, he can handle a little girl with Loki's powers._"

"_That's correct. While I have Loki's magic, I am only storing it. I can only use a fraction of it, and I am still human."_

_"So, a human flash drive with awesome tits?" Thanks pig._

_"Yes, Mr. Stark."_

Fury hadn't moved or spoken. Neither had Thor. They appeared to be having a silent staring contest. Choosing to ignore them, I sat down. "_If it's all the same to you guys, I need sleep before I serioulsy die. _" There was some babble, but I sank into blissful blackness, the first real sleep I'd had in weeks.


End file.
